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Topic: Starting the research on R80 and K75 (Read 6113 times)

After a month spent in Europe on slightly modified R80 I decided to research it together with K75.My Triumph T150V rides great, unfortunately my body feels quite beaten up after a ride longer than 100 km.I know I could improved it further by installing better front end with better brakes, better rear shocks, but don't want to mess with original bike.So probably has to sell it in a year or two and go a BMW route.Only problem I see with BMW, I'm short ( 173 cm tall ) so my first question is how high K75 is ?I was OK with R80, but it's seat was lowered.Another question, could somebody compare both bikes ?

K75 models came in a standard seat version or a low seat version. The low seat is 760mm high. It has a profile and seat components distinct from the standard seat. The red bike is a low seat version. The arrows show its unique tank pad and how the seat has a sloping profile. The low seat is not hinged; it can be slid off to access the battery.

The black bike has a standard seat. The seat is 810mm high. The arrows show its horizontal profile and its battery cover which is not present on the low seat model. The standard seat is hinged for access to a small tool box and the battery beneath the tool box.

Go here to compare http://cycle-ergo.com/. You can also have the seat nose shaved or the whole seat lowered by a competent upholsterer experienced with motorcycle seats. You can buy motorcycle boots with the thickest soles available, they can vary in thickness by up to 1. You can add lifts to the boots, if doing both buy the lifts first to try in the boots as some boots wont accept lifts. Doing both will increase your height by 2"+.You can drop the forks through the trees by 1/2" without noticeable effects on the handling. There is a shorter rear shock available but it can effect clearance and it will be harder to get onto the centre stand. The stand can be shortened to suit. I am 1" shorter than you and with a Jo foamed lowered seat and thick soled motorcycle boots I can flat foot with slightly bent knees.

Hard to compare an r80 and a k75. The r has more character but is more fiddly with carbs and valve adjustments. The k is smoother and feels more top heavy. Both are great bikes, I could live with either.

When I first started looking for a bike, a couple of mates with Hardleys tried to talk me into one. I looked at Guzzi's before looking at BM's. I used to have a work colleague that had a R90s that I drooled over. So after talking to a guy I worked with who was an Ex BM Hardley tech his advice was to go for a BM. I was looking at R80's he told me to have a look at K75's. I still love the look of the R80 especially with a bikini fairing.Regards Martin.

hi Adam mi have owned both and if forced to choose then my personal preference would be the k75 all day long. smoother, accelerates quicker and more nimble than the R80the R80's sheer simplicity and ease of accessibility however beats the K75 which is a bit more complex with the fuel injection.flip a coineveryone's a winner baby

K75 is also much cheaper in my area, but not many of them show up.After 15 years with old british bikes, carbs are not fiddly to me at all :), however K's fuel injection would be a think to master.From what I read on the forum engine is pretty much unburstable, gearbox, shaft and final drive are R80 parts anyway.I thought about K because I like triples, and liquid cooling makes engine temperature more stable.With Triumph during a hot day I start with cold engine and very slow idle to have a racing engine on idle after some traffic jams in town.But inevitably the cooling and FI makes it much more complicated comparing to R80, which is as reliable, simple enough for me to do not only maintenance but all the possible repairs by myself and is not affected by heat at all. A month ago I was riding through Berlin in 30C degrees days without any problems.

r80/r100 beats the K75 as far as simplicity, but in 200k I have never touched the FI on mine except to replace aging fuel lines. And I've only checked the valves about 4 times, changed shims on 3 or 4 of them. Biggest issue might be price, R's seem closer to having a collector's mystique than K's.

Aha, I had a close encounter with such a machine 10 years ago, helped a friend to cure a hole in one piston and installed electronic ignition in it.It changed a bike a bit with much easier starting and even idle. However his was an older Ukrainian home market model.I also believe you use an old picture of my polish virtual friend working on her K750 :).

I have a r100r Mystic and a K75 both 94 models. I also rode a 92 r100r for about 25k miles. I've been riding the K75 every day now. The R100 is much lighter maybe by 100 lbs. My R100M is a smaller bike. The seat is lower it handles better and has much better front brake setup and better rear suspension than the K. The K bike shifts better, starts easier, is smoother, has clock and gear position indicator, no charging issues, no fuel petcocks, no overheating in traffic etc. It appears that BMW attempted (and very successfully so) to solve some of the shortcomings with the Rs. I love the R bikes for its simplicity and charm. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

How can I edit posts ?I made a mess in another thread, trying to insert a picture from postimage.org and don't see any edit button around a post body ?

There are a couple of images of a bike in one of your threads. We don't get modify buttons right off the bat so you should carefully Preview your posts until you get one. We'll all just live with your messes until you have means to clean them up.

The thing about the L-Jetronic system on a K75 is that there is nothing to master so you don't need to think about it; however, if you buy a clapped-out, neglected, used K-bike what you'll need to master is electronic diagnosis using a multi-meter so you can go through all the Jetronic functions to determine if the ohms and voltage are at spec, only to find out that what you should have done is replaced the fuel filter and fuel hoses.

Fuel injection on these bikes is very basic by today's standards, but it works very well. These bikes are as easy to work on as the R but a bit more technical. I have been riding R bikes for 40 years but enjoy working on the K

Fuel injection on these bikes is very basic by today's standards, but it works very well. These bikes are as easy to work on as the R but a bit more technical. I have been riding R bikes for 40 years but enjoy working on the K

Same here, I've been able to do all the diagnosis, work, and certainly all the maintenance so far on both types of BMWs following advice found here and other online forums. The extra complication of fuel injection is a non-issue to me with only the fuel pump, filter, lines and injectors added to the mix. I'm sure it has failed on some but the control module appears to be pretty robust. After all I'm sure all of us depend on these systems in our daily drivers.

The most complex thing I diagnosed was the ABS and using on-line references and analog meter I was able to get the brain fixed by Tosi in Japan.

I think the K75 makes an ideal daily commuting machine. So care free and easy. It appears convenience was important in this design. If it was only a bit lighter...but then it wouldn't ride like it does I guess. I ride the K every day to work and love it. I feel like I've been missing out on some very cool machines this whole time.

If you use the right technique it is about the same as my R100 (not bad at all). The K has a conveniently located grab handle that folds out above the left foot rest. If you use that, and focus on stomping down as you lift it, its not bad at all. I always center stand both bikes. Very important on R bikes, not sure yet with k.

I'm dangerously close to 70, but still squat with some 100 something lbs on my back and dead lift the same.So leg muscle and core are still there. :)Also can still put my Trident on the center stand, what could give a hernia to a young man. It's weight is 500 lbs too, but stand is bloody difficult.Laitch, thanks for another great source, Gibson - K bikes have to be center stand too. Left on the prop stand they tend to smoke.

after decades of using the centerstand I've relegated it now pretty much just for maintenance use. Stories of it collapsing and general laziness are the culprits. Two tricks to using the sidestand, tilt the bike to the right for a moment after shutting it off, and before starting it back it out of it's spot so you can drop it into gear and have a clean getaway, avoiding the glares and criticisms of onlookers and they succumb to a cloud of K smoke. Actually, mine only smokes maybe 1 out of 10 times, no rhyme or reason.